


Image of Regret

by iceprinceloki



Series: The Decent Moments [22]
Category: Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: Apologies, Cults, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Pain, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Relationship(s), Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:01:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24201736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iceprinceloki/pseuds/iceprinceloki
Summary: Marius and Lestat talk briefly and Armand receives a reminder of the anguish he experienced at his Makers hands
Relationships: Armand/Daniel Molloy, Armand/Daniel Molloy/Louis de Pointe du Lac, Armand/Louis de Pointe du Lac, Armand/Marius de Romanus, Daniel Molloy/Louis de Pointe du Lac, Lestat de Lioncourt/David Talbot
Series: The Decent Moments [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593007
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Image of Regret

**Author's Note:**

> Excuse any errors this once, I haven't screened for mistakes I'm writing to keep myself busy this weekend so my brain doesn't wander

He had tried for a while to get into New York, only to be rebuffed every time. This time was different, this time Lestat was the one fighting him. The younger vampire threw him down onto a rooftop and held him there.

‘What are you doing here Marius?’ Lestat said blandly. ‘Haven’t you realized you’re not welcome?’

‘Lestat just let me explain.’ 

‘You did explain Marius, I don’t need to hear another word.’ Lestat wasn’t in the mood for this.

The poor brat had a bad night, first David messed with the thermostat in their bathroom; the fledgling liked to take showers as hot as the devil’s anus, and his poor maker hadn’t expected to be scalded. Then he had tripped while pulling on his jeans and fell face first onto the cold marble floor where he split his lip. Then Armand had started on him because his jeans were on the wrong way around after all the fuss. Louis had yelled at him when he nearly tore them off in the living room to put them on the right way around; the man had given his maker an earful about being respectable. David had laughed at him while he was being lectured. Then the last straw was losing his meal because Marius scared the man off. Lestat was irritable and hangry. The struggle was real.

Marius sighed and put his hands up in surrender. ‘Lestat I’m not here to excuse myself, I’m here to apologize.’

Lestat paused. ‘Really?’

‘Really.’ Marius was honest and he made no effort to conceal his thoughts.

Lestat released him and sat down. ‘Talk Marius.’

‘I went to Maharet and she showed me the truth…’ Marius started out evenly. ‘I-….I felt what he felt, saw what he saw….I was him in those moments. I never thought that was what I was doing to him….’

‘Oh so rape usually makes people feel happy?’ Lestat snipped irritably.

Marius hung his head in shame. ‘I wish Ii could take it back….with all I have in my soul I wish I could take it back…and not just the rape. I wish I could change our entire history…I wish I never let Santino keep him, if I had just-’

‘Don’t try and make this about Santino.’ Lestat had enough of this, it was Marius’ go to every time his treatment of Armand came up. ‘It’s not his fault you raped Armand. If that logic is sound then I can say it’s your fault I raped Louis and made Claudia a vampire.’

Marius winced and Lestat took satisfaction in making the man feel like shit. He deserved to be brought down a few pegs and shown the error in his ways.

‘It’s not his fault no. Regardless of that I do wish I had saved Armand from him. Now that I know how I made him feel in a short space of time, I have a deeper understanding of how Santino made him feel. I know how much worse I have made his situation.’

Maybe Marius was being honest? Lestat didn’t know, but there was no sign that the roman was lying or trying to get sympathy.

‘I felt so guilty for what happened, for abandoning him, that I blamed Santino and in my mind. I thought I could make him change, the way Santino had made him change. I justified it, thinking that I was doing it for his own good and not for my own selfish purposes.’ Marius had tears on his cheeks. ‘I should never have left him!’

‘You can’t change that now Marius….’ Lestat felt uneasy, he didn’t know if he should comfort or berate his one-time mentor. ‘You can’t do anything to make it go away, there’s no way to travel back in time….and look at it this way, even if you did change the course of history we might not be where we are; maybe Armand would be destroyed by now? It was Santino’s cult and the fear of the unknown that kept him alive for so long.’

‘That doesn’t help Lestat.’

Lestat scowled, you try to be nice. ‘I’m not trying to help; I’m pointing out a fact.’

They sat silently side by side, each thinking about the past and what wrongs they wished they could undo. Marius’ voice interrupted Lestat’s thoughts of Claudia.

‘I won’t ask to see him; I just want you to tell him that I am sorry.’ Marius dug in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. ‘This is for him….I didn’t seal it in an envelope, so you can read it if you wish.’

Lestat held the paper gingerly. ‘Is that it?’

‘I can’t do any more than this right now. I will be in Venice if you need to reach me. Goodbye Lestat.’

Marius was gone. Lestat stared at the paper and felt tempted to read it. He shut his eyes tightly and stood up. He was starving, the letter could wait. He couldn’t detect any sign of Marius and knew the vampire was long gone. Lestat dropped into a nearby alley and grabbed a drunk pimp who had passed out onto a pile of refuse bags.

Sated Lestat returned to Trinity Gate. He found his little family in the living room.

‘Oh Mister Grouch is home…’ Daniel whistled lowly. ‘Feeling better?’

Louis laughed at Daniels words and Lestat walked up to him. Lestat pulled Louis out of his chair by his jacket lapels.

‘Lestat-!’

He cut his fledgling off with a crushing hug. David looked at Louis curiously and his dark brother shrugged cluelessly. 

‘Is everything okay Lestat?’ Daniel asked finally when the blond separated from Louis.

Lestat kissed Louis cheek and walked to Armand. Lestat held out the piece of paper and Armand took it uncertainly, clearly expecting a prank. He unfolded the paper and Lestat waved David to stand.

‘Come on David, we should go.’ Lestat walked out of the living room with his concerned lover close behind.

As Lestat closed the living room door he heard Armand’s soft wail of angst and pain. He shut his eyes tightly and leaned back for a moment, Armand was inconsolable, and his lovers were trying their best. David took his makers hand and pulled him into a hug. Lestat leaned into the contact, his heart was breaking at the sound of his friend crying. That was Louis once upon a time, but he was alone when he broke.


End file.
